Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-12-15

MANNER OF SLtErlNb IN SNlh5 JAIL.
My prison mates received me very kindly
and answered questions freely. | had no
hesitation In telling them who | was, and
this at once won their confidence. They
were Union men from various parts Of
East Tennessee. Many of them had been
In prison for six or eight months, and the
offences charged varied from that of sim
ply prcferring the old government to the
new, slave built Confcderacy, TO that of
bridge burning or of being helpers of the
Union army The latter were called spies.
One OF them was blind, the Confederates
accusing him of only feignlng blindness;
but from all / could observe, / think 1t
was real
was greatly interested in the one negro
in this miserable place He was very
friendly and anxious to be of service to us
In any possible way. Some days after my
arrival he was taken out and brought back
again after an hour or so, seeming to he in
n good deal of suffering. His story, which
he gave as if it were the most ordinary
thing in the world, moved me to indgna-
ton which | would gladly have expressed
In some way more vigorous tlan words.
lie was arrested and imprisoned on sus-
picion Of being fugitive slave. The law
in such cases did not put the burden of
proof on the person arr sting, but or the
negro Aleck had been treated as Law and
custom provided He was first carefully
examined, and whipped till he made some
kind Of confession; then he was put in
Jail, and advertised in accordance with
that confession, II master appeared and
proved property, he was obliged to pay all
Jail and whipping fees, costs Of advcrtls-
ins and liberal reward to the person ar
resting; and then, usually fogging the
negro numerically for the trouble and
expense he ha'. caused, he could take his
property. But il no answer came to the
advertisement, it was taken for granted
that the negro lied and he was brought
out aud iiogged into a new confession,
after which he was remanded to Jail and
AGAIN advertised Thus they continued,
If no master appeared, logging and adyer
Using, for n year, when the poor fellow
was sold at public auction, and the pro-
cec,ls applied to pay the expenses OF all
these barbarous nhctious No trial was
allowed by which the negro might prove
himself free. When once arrested, unless
he happened to hive some powerful white
friend his doom was sealed and in this
way, in the old slavery times, many
freed negro found his way back into bond
age.
No answer having been received to the
advertisement for Aleck, he had been
taken out for one of his periodical whip
pings He had now been In this prison
for seven months, and was to remain five
more, with no prospect but that of being
sold into perpetual bondage. We pited
him from the bottom of our hearts. and
IRE glad to believe that, if he lived, the
triumph of the Union armies relieved him
from his dreadful position. These things
were not all ascertained on the same even
ing though several of them were, for | cid
eli could to get n complete mastery of
my surroundings, that | might be ready
for any possibility of escape. But the
chances were slight indeed. The floor
and the walls were OF solid oak, many
inches thick; circle of guards was all
the time on duty outside; and the olly
eyress was by means of u ladder put down
in the presence Of the jailer and n strong
guard.
As we were talking in the darkness, we
heard the tramp of many feet on the out
side stairway, with the clank Of chains,
and listened 10 learn what next was
coming to pass, The noise canc over
head, AMI then the trap door opened and "A
stream of comparatively cool air poured
down from the room above, and drew in
through our narrow windows. We
breathed with a sense of Jude scribable re-
lief-drinlling in the air as the desert
traveller drinks from the mountain brook!
OH what luxury it would be, if that
trap door could only be kefH openl 1t
might have been il our life or comfort had
been valued By those in authority.
A number of men were seen above by
the feeble glmmer of the iailer's candle,
anl the Ion. ladder was thrust down and
sei->l by man below to prevent it from
striking some head, and it was clear that
others were being sent down. The Ten
nesseeans cried out: Don't put any more
down here. We're full Wen die if any
more are put down"